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LK, RIDER. VALVE GEAR POR STEAM ENGINES;

` PatentedfJuly 2, 1867.

@niet eine ...geen @rfi-'rel Leners-freiem Na. 66,392', mercury-2, 1867,-

ntrnovsinnirr In MINE-GEAR ron. srsinlt :internes:l

- tite .fsf-distille .,ieflrrrhf tu that Entersnent mit nnitigiiiif'gatt ti ttt. sume Be it known that I, A. K.' RXI'DER, of Nnzareth,= in the county ofNorthaniptom'an-d.'Statecf Pennsylvania.,v have invented certain" new and-,useful -ixrlproye'nlents on Steaiixiand-other'Engines, of which 'the following isa' full, clear, and'. exact description, rei'eience'heing ,had to. Athe 'accompanying drawings, forming 'part of :this specification, and. in ;Whie-hy I 4 A l Y, .A 1 A L y` Figure 1 represents a-sectional side clevationof astea'r'n engine embracing Inyimprovement, and constructed as applicable to drilling crehannel'qling purposes. i l V l i' n l 'Figure 2 is a horzontaljse'ction throughtheline v v inl-ig.

. Figure 3,' a vertical section`through thelline y'jy in ig`.41,and 4 l Figure 4' an end elevation or ontsideview at rightan'glesto gs. land 3.

Like letters indicate like parts throughouttheseveral gures. Y

My iniproveinentfrelates. to that system otoperating. the' piston ofV an engine in which a dnplicatearran'ge-. ment of valvesi's-usedpthe one that may betelmed a sub-valve being 'Worked by the'engine `tc adlnit an'dexllaus't' steam toloperate'vor throwthe vother or mninvalve to the engine cylinder, and the natureofmy. invention, which includes a n'ovelmode of varying thc, spleedfor'force of, tl1e`piston With-inthe engine-cylinder,consistsv'ina com# bination,l with theengine ,piston or valve controlling itsniotion, 'ofa regulatoifso constructed and operatingas either to vary the Vlength or position, or` both, of the valve stroke ,inf su'ch a Vmanner as 'that not en lyjmay a. heavier or lighter' stroke `be-giventol thecnginepistoinbut 'its force in one direction-nude greater atfpleasure than inlthe-othe'r, the same being effected automatically. onadjustment of then-regulator; Ifiltre.:ihv ntio`nalso consists in 'a-peculiarconstruction. of valve-regulator, likewise anovelconstruction of .engine cylinder,` valve, and combination ofv main and sub-,valve having'a common inlet and ezrhausti Alsofsaidiinventionconsists in novel Vcombination ofxneans for operating--the subvalve,'and furthermore, "in a combinatiouof sub-valve, mail valve, -andregulator controllin'g'in a novel manner the action-volt" theV latter. l l l Referring'to the accompanying draining, lA represents thecylindr (here show'nvertical) of theen'gine; B i-ts piston v; and C, the piston-rod, which, in the'rpresent 'instance,`is arranged to ruuthroughfthe top of the cylinder or its cover.l Connectedwith the upper endofgthepiston-rod is aujarm, 'D,that may have attached to it a verticallysliding bar, which may form the drill-stockAdrholder, or the arni'may.have-connected. vithlit a clamp for, by orlin connection-'with' securing'screws,` carrying a series offstocks `or drill-holders, as necessary in" channelling .operationsi.,V This sliding-barili may be guided by and-work in contact with a'xed vertical support, e F. G is `the main Vvalve working in -acylind'eig H, and inadeup ofpistons'or rings a afandb 12",.ormi`ng spaces. orchambers cc and d between them,."the two outer chambers cbing constantv oriixed steam-spaces,A towhioh steam is supplied by passages e e', and frot'n whichit is passed alt'lern'agtelytbypassagesl ff to the'upper and lotver lends of the cylinder to reverse the action-'of the engine piston.V l The chantiberd is anexbaustlstearn space Vin constant communication with 'an exhaust outlet, L ,and'ntq or through which the steamis exhausted fromopposite ends of the engine cylinderi alternately. ...This-alternate inlet' and outlet actionlto `opposite ends'of the engine cylinder is produced bythe Vshooting orworking of thevalve G, to which S is the rod or stem,'.scias to bring the passages ffin communication withf their respective steam-'chambersc and c, or their' general exhaust d. The pistons, disks, or rings a and'd 5' should besit'u'ated. vsuiiiciex'ltly vapart to insure'this action .0f the valve-G under .a-ivide or 'varying 4range of throw, that' is, that itwill so operate bothwhether its throw belong or short, or longer in the o ne stroke'than the other, changing its altitude or` position of travelto vary the actionof thefpiston, and which is producedby a regulator(connectedwithsaid valve,.as wvillfbe hereinafter described., `The valve'G-is operated or thrown by the direct agency o'f the impelling iiuld, as controlled b y a sub or auxiliary valve, J, which i's workedautolhatically by the engine. .l Thish val-'ve J'is also shown as ni'ade up` of: pistonsli., one at eitherend, working in ar cylinder) K,the space lo r chamber t' between said pistons forming. a fixed or constant 'steam space tofwhichsteam isV admitted by" a passage, j, frorn'a chamber orsPace, L, `connect- V'ing with themain steam inlet. M, said 'chamber L also serving-to supply, bythe "passages el e', the main valve? leylinderror spaces c with steam., `1c k are passages' to convey' the steam from the chainber z' of the sub-valve `to above or below the- Inainvalve G to'shoot or throvvJit accordingly as' the sub-valve is worked tc pnt the'ports c'or cin communication-with thfe steam-chamber i, or by spaces aboveand below the pistons ci` the subwalvep with an; upper'and .lower lexhaust passageor passages'll, connecting by an openingywnwith thev exhaust-o` chamber d ofithemainvalve iii constant communication, as before specified, with the general exhaust I. "7.

l @To thus alternateA the throw ofthe main'valve, the sub-valve J is ormay be operated as follows: .Attached 'tothe-arm D Aof thleengine piston israblock, .'N', preferably :nada adjustable in a vertical' directiongndf-serving on'v the ascent of theengine vpistoiir to lift clever, 0,whi`ch, pressinnonv the under. sided?"ahnte` nQbnthIesnb i Jammin valve shaft y, lifts the latter till a lower nut, o, on the rod g, 'rides over and rests on a rest, p, toone side'ofa detent-levcr, P, pivoted, as at q, the front of the restp inclining upward to facilitate the ridingof the-nut o over and on to its top. This lift and rest of thesub-valve allows steam 4'to flow by the passagek into the cylinder H to act upon the top of the mainvalve G, and shoot it downward, at the same-time opening 'thevpassage le to the exhaust, which removes pressure from the under-facel of-'the main valve.- 4The downward movement of the mai-n valve G opens 'the ylower portion of the cylinder A-by the passagef tothe exhaust-'chamber d, 'and the upper portion of said cylinder, by the passage Z'to the steam-'chamber c of the main valve, which induces a downward action of the piston B. At or towards the close of the descent ofthe engine piston, the detent-lever P is tripped, causing the nut 'o o f the valvefrod g to be released `from its support en the rest, when a spring, r, shoots dow'n the sub-valve and suddenly changesA its action, so far as controlling or reversingthe mainval-ve, which is then lifted by steam being admitted below it, and exhansted'from abo'vev it, 'and the movement of the engine piston changed to an upward' one by `the' passage j" being opened to the steam, and the passag'ef tothe exhaust. 'The sub-valve thusshot downward is held or locked in such position' by 4the pressure of the springr, The detent-lever P is-or may be tripped in the descent of the engine piston to Vallow of the nut o passing therestp by the nose s of aspring-held plate or lever, Q, pivoted, say as at t, t'o thearm D, striking and bearing down or away on an inclined projection u of the detentflever, which, however, may be otherwise tripped. y

Having now specified how the valves are or may be operated, I lwill proceed to describe the action of ,the regulator,\whi ch serves notsimply to'gOVern the throw of the main valve G, as. regards its length of stroke, which oi' course regulates thequantity of steam admitted to act on the engine piston, but also actsto varythe supplyr of steam-to-ina double strokeopposite sides ofthe engine piston, bly which double regulation not only may the speed of equal engine strokes be increased ordimini'shed, but the up 'or down force or intensity of action of theengine piston V`t` e'cl1an'ged,`and4 a light-up and heavy down stroke, or v z'ce versa, be given. I ny this `way maythe 'forceof the blow -be adjusted, both by varying thespeed of the engine piston and' by supplyingdiii'erent quantities of steam for the up-and-down stroke' of thelatter.' The regulator which accomplishes this may be constructed as. follows: -Attached vtn th'e rod S of the main valve by, say, aconnecting-bar ,or link, is a wedge-'shaped lever,'R, pivoted, as "at v to an arm, T, thatmay be stationary, and which,fspreadi ng at itsl outer endyisprovided at ls uch part with a curviline`a1 slot u. Between the fixed arm'T and wedge-shaped lever R is' a slotted horizontally sliding 'b ar,l U, rocking say on` the .pivot v, and held'at any desiredposition in or; out or up ordown by a locking-screw, z 0, passing through theslot u. This rocking ,and`hori`zonta-lly sliding bar carries intermediately .of lits length ay slottedv clip or stop-bar, i, through which" the lever R passes. To secure an equally forcible stroke in 'both .directionsfof travel: olf the engine piston, itis onlyl necessary to vadjust thebar Uin ahorizontal position, 'o'r midway of the'slot u, when the throw of the main valve as regulated by the lever R, and'clip or stop'bar e', will' be equal inzboth directions'as regards its control of .the ports or pas. sages which it opens and closes.- To regulate the amount of such equal throw is 'only necessary to work in or out and set the bar` U so as to cause the' wedge-shaped lever'ft to strike' soo'n'er' or later the clipor stop-'bar rz, while to' vary the altitude intravel o f t l1e valve,l so astomake itopen and. close unequally the top and bottoni ports or passages to the engine cylinder, in`orde'r to'admit more steam in one direction-of 'travel than thel other, it is only requisite to rockandset up vor down the bar U accordingly as'more'. steam isrequiredfabove or. below, the adjustment of thelclipor stop-,barl anp or down determining .the altitude in travel of the valve 4or its action relatively to the engine ports or passages, so -as -to close or'open one toa greater extent thanithe other. u

N ot o'nlyinay such a mode'ofregulatin'g the stroke or force of'theengine piston-be employed to advantage in drilling and channelling operations, but in a viarie'ty of work. [When used tofoperatea direct-acting ham-mer, thel 4engine piston-rod should project 4through the lower' end of the cylinder. l For lpilm'ping purposes, instead ,of the percussion arrangement .describedforoperatingthe sub-valve, simple-.tappets may be'used.' -The same action of valves, as has been here described, ma'y beproduced by reversing the 'inlet and-outlet passage or passages, that is, exhausting where admitting steam, and vz'c versa. In speaking of steam, such isA only done by way' of illustration, the voperation being'the. same when a4 different impelling fluid is employed.

What Il'hereclaim as new and useful, and desire to securel-byjLetters Patent, is- 1. The combination, with the. reciprocating piston B and the main valve controlling'thesame, of a regulator so constructed and operating as'not only to admit-ofthevalve'stroke being lengthe'ued or shortened to change the speed or force oilV engine strokes, butalso ofbeing vso vvaried in position relatively to the engine cyln'ders ports as to secure when required to theengine piston a more forcible's'troke'linone directionl than the other, substan-` .tially 'as specified. l l

2. The-regulator to the engine' cylindenvalve arrangedja'nd operating substantially as described. v

The arrangementof thesub-valv'e J, relatively to the main valve Gr,.the, one Ibeingcontrolled bythe other, as specified, ivhenlsaid'valves have a commoninlet and exhaust, andarev otherwise arranged .for .opratior'= together, substantially' specified. i i v v i I 4. The combinatioi'i'of 'the 'arm operated by the enginepiston, of the-block N, lever O', spring r 'to the, sub'- valve J, lever S, and detentelever P operatingl in connection with the'restsflifting nuts or stops tooperate the sub-valve, as hereindescribed.- v l i 5.' The combination with the engine piston 'o f as nb-valve operated thereby; maia valve controlled by the sub-valve, and regulator governing the' action oftheniain'valve, essentially as and .for the purpose or purposes herein set forth. l* I i y v l A. K. RIDER. WitnessesrA DANIEL vBuchanan,

J. G. DARLiNGToN, 

